Pompette

We were in Oxford to have our car serviced and needed to kill time until it was ready. How lucky we were to find Pompette. It is down a small rather unprepossessing street in Summertown which gives little clue as to how very good the restaurant is. It was a hot day and large floor to ceiling windows were open on to a pleasant terrace fronting the road. Our welcome couldn’t have been warmer or kinder and despite not having booked we were give an excellent table by the window. There is a short a la carte menu with extra dishes of the day put in the menu that morning and also a set lunch menu which we didn’t have but which looked very good and reasonably priced. I started with with vitello tonnato which was the best I’ve ever eaten, thin delicate slices of excellent veal, expertly cooked and dressed while my husband had fish soup with grated Gruyère, rouille and croutons which was also delicious. For my main course I had stream trout, again cooked to perfection with crushed jersey royals and a beurre blanc while my husband had rabbit leg with white beans in a tomato based sauce which he loved. Puddings were Basque cheesecake and apricots for him and Île flottante for me, both perfect. The wine list is well chosen and fairly priced. We opted for a carafe of their house white which was very good All three of the staff who served us were very professional but also had real warmth and friendliness and were clearly committed to our having the best possible experience. All around us, other customers appeared to be enjoying it as much as we were and despite not living anywhere near Oxford we will certainly go back just to eat at Pompette.